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Monday, May 09, 2016

Bio: Hope Toler Dougherty
holds a Master's degree in English and taught at EastCarolinaUniversity
as well as YorkTechnicalCollege.
A member of ACFW, RWA and SinC, she writes for Almost an Author. Before writing novels, she published
non-fiction articles on topics ranging from gardening with children to writing
apprehension. She cheers for the Pittsburgh Steelers, ACC basketball, and Army
West Point Football. Hope and her husband, Kevin, live in North Carolina and chat
with their two daughters and twin sons through ooVoo.

Welcome back, Hope. Why do you write the
kind of books you do?

I believe
writing fiction is my calling right now. It’s funny because when I taught
English on the college level, I taught American literature. Reading love
stories was a guilty pleasure I kept secret. Now God has me writing love
stories!

Besides when you came to know the Lord,
what is the happiest day in your life?

Of course, my
wedding because almost everyone we loved and who loved us came together in one
place. Then the birth days of all of our children, especially our last, the
twin sons, because I felt our family was complete. Thanksgiving week of 2014
stands out because all four children were home. We were introducing our holiday
to a British friend. Another college friend of our second daughter’s stayed
with us. Extended family members and high school friends kept dropping by. It
seemed like I was cooking from dawn till dusk, and I loved it. With two sons
marching toward the military life, I know we won’t always be able to celebrate
together. I kept stopping myself in the middle of stirring something or shoving
another dish in the oven and repeating, “Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank
you, God.”

I have a grandson who served in the
military for over ten year, and holidays with him were always iffy. He’s out
now, and the last three major holidays, we were all together. I loved it. How
has being published changed your life?

I have business
cards and a website now. Besides that, my faith is much more open now. When
people read my books, they know exactly where I stand.

What are you reading right now?

I’m reading
Carol Award entries now. I’m also reading The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James
Brown. It’s the story of the 1936 Olympic rowing team. Fascinating story.

What is your current work in progress?

My agent, Jim
Hart, is trying to find a home for my third manuscript, Rescued Hearts, a romantic suspense. I’m about 40,000 words into my
fourth, a romance set in Charlotte,
North Carolina. The main male
character is struggling to let go of people’s expectations of him and to
understand and embrace God’s plans for him.

What would be your dream vacation?

An international
trip would be Italy and Greece.
For a stateside trip, I’d love to experience a Mississippi River cruise and a
bicycle tour of Vermont.

How do you choose your settings for each
book?

My settings sort
of choose themselves. I started daydreaming about Galway, Ireland,
and that daydream became a scene in my first novel, Irish Encounter. For Mars…With Venus Rising, I had some
ideas for a quirky story, and I thought about Mars, Pennsylvania. It’s a cool little town
outside Pittsburgh
with a flying saucer on the town square. The residents call themselves
Martians. The football team is named the Planets. I thought it’d be fun to set
a story there.

If you could spend an evening with one
person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

For writers, I
choose Anne Tyler and Liane Moriarty. I love the way they write. Charlie Rose,
Nora O’Donnell, and Gail King are smart and funny on CBS This Morning. Bobby Bones, a radio personality, has an
interesting life story and seems like a fun person.

What are your hobbies, besides writing
and reading?

I love to cook,
crochet, and send real mail.

What is your most difficult writing
obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Fear. Fear of
writing stupid sentences. Fear that no one will like the story. Fear that I’ll
get halfway into a story and not be able to finish it. I have to pray it away
and remember all those Bible verses about being strong and courageous, that God
is with me and my constant help, that He gave me a spirit of power, not fear.

A meddling
horse, paper bag floors, and a flying saucer on the town square. The little
town of Mars
has it all—including a brand new resident who might spell heartache for one of
its own.

Twenty-something
Penn Davenport yearns for an exciting life in the big city and wants to shed
the label of orphan that she's worn for years. To achieve that dream, she must
pass the CPA exam then move away from the two aunts who reared her after her
parents died in a plane crash.

When John
Townsend—full of life and the joy of living—moves to town, he rattles Penn's
view of herself, her life, and her dreams...which isn't such a bad thing until
she falls for him…and discovers he’s a pilot.

Please give us the first page of the
book.

“Come on, Peri.
You’re making me late. Again.”

Penn Davenport
wiggled the carrot in front of the escape artist horse and squeezed the halter
she’d hidden behind her back.

The gray roan
stretched his long neck toward the orange prize and sniffed. As tame as an old
lap dog, Peri had a mind of his own. When he decided to visit the neighboring
houses, he worried the lock on his corral gate until it popped and he trotted
into freedom.

Fortunately,
most of her neighbors on Oakland
Street loved Peri, welcomed his visits and his
nosey poking under their shelters or garages. Unfortunately, they encouraged
his visits with sugar cubes and hugs.

If he didn’t
want to return home yet, she’d never be able to slide the halter over his head.
She glanced at her watch. Twelve minutes until the planning meeting for the
Mars Area Apple Fest began. If this crazy horse cooperated, she might have a
chance to settle into a chair before the minutes were read.

“Here we go,
darling. Take a bite of this delicious carrot. Come on. I know you want it.” Please, God, help me get Peri back home. You
know how I hate being late.

Peri backed up a
step, and Penn’s hope for an easy capture melted like chocolate on the floorboard
of a locked-up car in mid-July. She gritted her teeth.

An interesting and humorous opening. How
can readers find you on the Internet?

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

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Thank you, Annie and J.C. and Connie and Angela for stopping by Lena's blog today. I'm not sure about wild, but the story has some quirky scenes, for sure. And Penn goes on a few wild rides at an amusement park--with John. Good luck!

I actually meant wild as in wacky lol. Thanks for this giveaway (I always LOVE book giveaways!). I'm so excited about reading your book! And even if I don't win it, I'll go to my plan B...request it for our library😃 Can't wait!